talk to me about Keurig's

[CloudBee]

I need to start my day with caffeine.  We don't own a coffee maker.  Several years back I bought a Senseo machine, but it was junk.  It's also less popular than the Keurig, so the pod offerings were limited.  What a waste of money. 

Now I find myself hitting up a drive-thru several mornings a week for coffee, and always end up getting something else.  So I spend $4-8.  I feel like I'm throwing money out the window, and eating crap I don't need to be.

I really like frappes, but could probably make to with iced coffee.

I also love chai, and usually drink a cup of that when I get to work.

The cheapest Keurig I could find on Amazon is $77, but it's silver and looks fug: www.amazon.com/Keurig-B130-DeskPro-Brewing-System/dp/B004978NKY/ref=sr_1_11?s=kitchen&rps=1&ie=UTF8&qid=1406131258&sr=1-11&keywords=keurig

They also have several colors in the $100-117 range: www.amazon.com/Keurig-B31-Brewing-System-Black/dp/B003J8JP6U/ref=sr_1_14?s=kitchen&rps=1&ie=UTF8&qid=1406131544&sr=1-14&keywords=keurig

How do these models differ?  I'm not finding much info online comparing the two.

If you prefer chilled coffee in the summer, how do you make it at home?  I would love to blend with ice, but the thought of washing the blender each day is daunting.  We don't have a ton of cabinet or counter space, so even pulling out the small Magic Bullet would be annoying on a daily basis.  Is there any other way to easily chop ice so it will fit through a straw?  The crushing mechanism on our fridge is pretty chunky.

Who makes the best chai pods?

Anyone know if you can buy true vanilla hot chocolate?  The white stuff, not the brown chocolate flavored with vanilla.

TY!

[sjh722]

I cold brew iced coffee, which doesn't require a coffee maker. (I do not blend it, though, I just pour it over ice and add cream.)

[cuddlyevil]

We have one of the larger keurigs in the office. I prefer a different method for home brewing.

Our model at work is a pain in the ass to descale though--so I tend to steer people toward any other model. It is at minimum, a 4 hour process to descale the damn thing.

[Deleted]

Unless you have infinity time and patience, just start by conceding that blended ice coffee drinks are not an every morning thing and will just be for Treat Fridays. Ain't nobody got time for that.

Purchase a cheap coffee pot: www.target.com/p/mr-coffee-12-cup-switch-coffeemaker-black/-/A-10135494#prodSlot=_1_5

Purchase a cheap pitcher: www.target.com/p/hammer-pitcher-aqua-4-liter/-/A-15090791#prodSlot=medium_1_19&term=pitcer

Make a pot of coffee in the morning or night. Put coffee into pitcher. Put pitcher into fridge.

In the morning, pour over ice with your preferred creamer and enjoy.

[SKP82]

Keurig's what? Keurig's cost? Keurig's ease of use?

[CloudBee]

Disclaimer: DH prefers hot coffee.

[CloudBee]

Jul 23, 2014 11:12:15 GMT -5 cuddlyevil said:

We have one of the larger keurigs in the office. I prefer a different method for home brewing.

Our model at work is a pain in the ass to descale though--so I tend to steer people toward any other model. It is at minimum, a 4 hour process to descale the damn thing.

And your preferred method is?

How do you descale - running vinegar through?

[wambam]

Cold brew coffee: www.amazon.com/Toddy-T2N-Cold-Brew-System/dp/B0006H0JVW

If you go the Keurig route, brew your own coffee. Most KCups blow. Use the Ekobrew with an EZ Cup paper filter. Grind the coffee super fine (think espresso) and pack that Ekobrew's ass with coffee.

[Serenity9]

I already have a coffee maker and have not heard good things about Keurigs, but I kind of want one of these just because the colors are pretty!

[CloudBee]

The Keurig seems so innovative! But it sounds like I should just buy a cheapie brewer. Boo.

[CloudBee]

Jul 23, 2014 11:21:34 GMT -5 Serenity9 said:

I already have a coffee maker and have not heard good things about Keurigs, but I kind of want one of these just because the colors are pretty!

I know, right?!

[sunshineluv]

We have a keurig in my office and it gets the job done, but it is fancy, has water hooked up to it. All you do is put the cup and and press go.

It is not as good as brewed coffee, and if you are buying coffee out a lot you will know the difference. Also, K-Cups are expensive, about 75 cents each.

I remember reading about some ladies that make iced coffee in batches and keep it in the fridge for the week, but I don't remember who it was to tag.

I would consider buying a small coffee pot if I were you.

[zoomzoom]

I use our office Keurig to make iced tea. I brew a cup and then put it in the fridge for a put. Then pour it over ice. I've really liked the variety of teas we've been able to get.

[cookies]

I prefer cold coffee, H prefers hot. Usually we brew a full pot of coffee (with a regular old coffee maker), H drinks it right out of the pot. I wait till it cools and pour what's leftover into a large mason jar that I store in the fridge.

H keeps a Keurig at work and it is a basic model he picked up from Bed Bath and Beyond with a 20% off coupon. I think it was $80 or so with the coupon. It's held up for a few years now.

[justdance]

My FI and I received this one at our wedding shower and we love it. We make coffee/hot chocolate every morning. We don't drink iced coffee, so I'm not sure how that would work with this.

www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/keurig-reg-k65-special-edition-brewer/118327?skuId=14096000&registryId=541202604

[zoomzoom]

Oh. We also have one at home b/c neither my H or I drink coffee but when we have house guests, we wanted them to be able to have the option to brew a pot or just a cup. If it's just one house guest, they don't always want to brew a whole pot and waste most of it.

[tripleshot]

I make my own iced coffee all year round and use the recipe from The Pioneer Woman. It's on her website.

[cuddlyevil]

Jul 23, 2014 11:15:17 GMT -5 CloudBee said:

Jul 23, 2014 11:12:15 GMT -5 cuddlyevil said:

We have one of the larger keurigs in the office. I prefer a different method for home brewing.

Our model at work is a pain in the ass to descale though--so I tend to steer people toward any other model. It is at minimum, a 4 hour process to descale the damn thing.

And your preferred method is?

How do you descale - running vinegar through?

I prefer a french press, but that's too much to deal with in the morning with 3 small kids so I use a drip brewer.

Our keurig has a the reservoir, and some of those models are a pain in the ass. You fill it to the top with vinegar, run brew cycles until the "add water" error message comes up, then you let it sit for at least four hours before emptying it out and flushing with clean water (usually have to refill the reservoir 3 times). I have to warn my coworkers three days in advance because we're all such addicts here.

[Serenity9]

If you want something colorful, I just found these:

www.delonghi.com/en-us/products/coffee-and-espresso/coffee-makers/drip-coffee-makers

[casarosada]

Ditto making cold brew coffee. I also have the Toddy that someone posted above. I got it 4 years ago and it is the most used item in my kitchen during the summer. I would get that for cold coffee (you don't even really need the Toddy, you can just put coffee grinds and water into a jar as long as you have a way of filtering the grinds out) and get a cheap machine for hot coffee. I'm not a fan of keurigs - I don't think the coffee is as good and I cringe at the waste.

[Deleted]

I was just researching this. I want iced coffee in the summer, I'm going to try this method today.
thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/06/perfect-iced-coffee/

[sjh722]

Jul 23, 2014 11:39:25 GMT -5 @ruralrabbit1 said:

I was just researching this. I want iced coffee in the summer, I'm going to try this method today.
thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/06/perfect-iced-coffee/

This is what I do. It's good!

[Bree Van de Kamp]

Jul 23, 2014 11:21:34 GMT -5 Serenity9 said:

I already have a coffee maker and have not heard good things about Keurigs, but I kind of want one of these just because the colors are pretty!

The minis fucking suck. They can only make a cup at a time, so they take about the same amount time to make a cup as my Bunn takes to make a pot. The keurig I bought cost about $140 and I love it. Water is always ready and it's super fast.

[wambam]

Peet's major dickason is my JAM

[schitzengiggles]

Jul 23, 2014 11:30:13 GMT -5 justdance said:

My FI and I received this one at our wedding shower and we love it. We make coffee/hot chocolate every morning. We don't drink iced coffee, so I'm not sure how that would work with this.

www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/keurig-reg-k65-special-edition-brewer/118327?skuId=14096000&registryId=541202604

This is the one I have. I like it. It's not like it makes spectacular coffee or anything, but it's quick and easy and I like all the flavor options. I don't use it often anyhow because I grab coffee at work (my company owns several businesses including an office coffee distribution business, so we have multiple options for commercial-grade coffee makers along with a zillion coffees to go with. It might be the one thing that keeps me working here forever, lol)

[picaflora]

In the winter I like that I can have coffee pretty instantly. Making iced coffee takes a bit more planning. Ours has a reservoir tank. To cut down on the need for de-scaling I fill it with water from the Brita pitcher.

Iced coffee I brew the night before (or I'll make 3-4 cups at once) and put them in the fridge to cool. There are some iced coffee k-cups, but they aren't good in my opinion. Then I just pour the coffee over ice in the morning with cream/sugar. I just use flavored creamers if I want something "fancy". I'm not a fan of the blended drinks, so I've never given that a try.

Wambam's method with the ekobrew cup works well. I also like the San Francisco cups. You can find them on Amazon, for about $0.39/pod.

[justdance]

Jul 23, 2014 11:45:30 GMT -5 picaflora said:

Ours has a reservoir tank. To cut down on the need for de-scaling I fill it with water from the Brita pitcher.

Yes, we use filtered water from our Pur filter in our Keurig as well. It's much easier than having to de-scale all the time.

[CloudBee]

Jul 23, 2014 11:32:05 GMT -5 tripleshot said:

I make my own iced coffee all year round and use the recipe from The Pioneer Woman. It's on her website.

I just Googled. This is what I need to do.

[nomad100]

Jul 23, 2014 11:15:33 GMT -5 wambam said:

If you go the Keurig route, brew your own coffee. Most KCups blow. Use the Ekobrew with an EZ Cup paper filter. Grind the coffee super fine (think espresso) and pack that Ekobrew's ass with coffee.

Listen to Wambam!  She is wise in the ways of the home fillable Kcup!  This is what we do and it works great.

[junebug]

Jul 23, 2014 11:15:33 GMT -5 wambam said:

Cold brew coffee: www.amazon.com/Toddy-T2N-Cold-Brew-System/dp/B0006H0JVW

If you go the Keurig route, brew your own coffee. Most KCups blow. Use the Ekobrew with an EZ Cup paper filter. Grind the coffee super fine (think espresso) and pack that Ekobrew's ass with coffee.

I second the Toddy. I love mine and it is the best over ice with a little milk and coffee creamer.